12 October 2010

April's Tortière

French-Canadian tortière is one of those dishes that I always think of when Fall comes around. I think I'm reminded of it because there were always these Fall foodfests up along the Canada-US border (where I was born and raised) that celebrated the locals' French-Canadian roots. Folks would knosh on these small meat pies while walking around watching all the action. There were artisans making snowshoes, woodworkers carving wooden bowls and spoons, lumberjacks showing their prowess with axe and picks, fiddlers playing Quebecois folk music. There were sometimes canoe races on the St Lawrence River. Women baked bread in the outdoor clay ovens, fried beignets for those with a sweet tooth, stirred potage on open fires. It was always fun to go to one of these events. And over it all, there was the smell of the spicy meat filling that was so intoxicating! It would draw you into the line for 'just one more'.

My father worked with a couple Frenchies on the telephone company line crew ... he would sometimes come home with a meat pie around Christmastime. It is a typical holiday dish in French-Canadian households, made in huge batches ... warm and spicy with a crunchy crust. So delicious! We counted ourselves lucky that his friends shared their Christmas tortières with us ...

Fast forward about fifteen years ... I got this recipe from a neighbor of ours when we lived in Rehoboth, MA. April Levesque came from Pawtucket, RI. Her family moved down from Quebec back in the mill days of the early 20th century and they brought this recipe with them. She was making it one day when I walked over to pick up my daughter from a play date. The smell was just as intoxicating as my memory from the past! When I asked her for her recipe, she graciously shared it. I still have her carefully typed index card in my 'bag of food treasures' ... and today is just the day to make ...

April's French- Canadian Tortière

Oven: 450° F for 10 minutes and then 350° F for 35 minutes longer

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground beef

½ lb. ground pork

1 small onion, small dice

1 clove garlic, minced

¼ tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. cloves

¼ tsp. celery salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

¼ tsp. ground sage

1 ½ tsp. kosher salt

1 tbsp. Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce (my addition)

½ c. boiling water

3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed with a bit of cream and butter

7 comments:

Dear Susan - I have never heard of a tortiere and I hat to call them meat pies..lol...so forgive the country bumpkin-ness. These are wonderful though and I am very curious of the use of both beef and pork - I bet it makes the filling much more moist...

Susan I love the sound of this pie... it's contents remind me a little of a Cornish Pasty, with the ground meat and potatoes. I also love the portrait you paint of a very idyllic life and country fayre. Lovely x

@ Devaki - I think that many Quebecois folk use only pork, as cows were used more for milk and cheese products 'back in the day' , but April's recipe called for a blend of pork and beef. Maybe a way to cut some of the fattiness of the meat mince. As for the term tortiere ... I think every culture has a dish in wnich pastry crust is wrapped around a savory meat filling ... pasty, empanadas, pirogi, whatever!

my grandmother used to make a "mincemeat" pie that is similar, though she prepared the mincemeat in huge batches and canned it to pull out when needed. I'm pretty sure she also used beef. Even on a dairy farm you butcher a cow once a year, and this was one way to preserve some of it. I think her recipe included apples, which they also grew on the farm. I will have to root around and see if I can find that recipe.

Why do I read your posts in the late afternoon? Now I'm hungry but shall have to wait for my dinner :-)

@ Kay - Mincemeat does indeed have apples and spices and meat. I've always been curious about making it, but you need pressure cooking equipment to do it safely, so I make 'mock mincemeat' with green tomatoes, apples, raisins and all those wonderful spices. I can do that in a water bath and it keeps forever.

Susan, I have to say your tortiere looks fabulous!! I've only made tourtiere once I'm afraid and I'm the only person who liked it so I'm sorry to say I'm not a good judge of yours, lol. I would love a piece of yours right now though, it looks wonderful. I'm sorry I can't be more help, but living in Ontario, I'm not exposed to it very much. You've made me very hungry........

OMG I love pork pie. When my kids were in second grade they studied Canada. I found a recipe and made two pork pies each year (three kids in less than 3 years) for their Canadian Feast. Anyway lost my recipe and haven't made it since. But will be making it this weekend. Thank you ,Thank you ,Thank you